The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1887-02-17

nnfri4ndly with me. / have heard lately
that the sheriff, also, was receiving
salary of $1,000 from the cattle assoels-
ton of which Mr.. Goodnight Is president
and G. A. Brown vice president. District
Attorney Woodman was the paid attorney
of the association. / told Mr.. Goodnight /
20 give his cowboys a deed TO g small
tract of land. so that they could become
legal jurymen. as We had a great deal OF
trouble TO be able to get enough lurymeh
at anv term of court. told the grsnd
iurv at Mobeetie, last fall, that thought
the land enclosure act was hard to en-
force. but it was their duty TO enforce all
laws. l told Mr.. Woodman, at the July
term. that be ought TO dismiss the re-
naming land enclosure cases-that ne
could cot conyict-but Woodman SAID the
attorney-general demanded it. l did lei
some of the cases be tried without the
presence of the defendants, and would
have let the verdicts stand II the
iury had found them guilty
have heard that the district attorney
went to the commissioners court and
asked for clerks to help draw up the in
dictments, a. there we're 700 many for one
man 10 draw up, and. think, the clerks
were furnished him. The attorney gen
eral then submitted all the documentary
evidence in the case, consisting of copies
Of the indictments and judgments against
all who we're tried fo- a violation of the
illegal enclosure act in Judge Willis court.
The judgments were in regular form, re-
citing that the evidence had been heard by
the jury.
Frank Daniels was next witness. He
was Juror on a 6. A. Browns
case, said he heard no juror sworn, and
! had no evidence TO act on except the
| lawyers statements. Before the term o.
the court it had been the general talk
! that all the cattlemen would be indicted
! for illegal enclosure Of lands. l never
! saw court run ike this one before. No
witnesses were put on the stand, and men
who were indicted for the same ofense sat
on the jurle5. saw Judge Willis several
! times IN a gambling room where they
were playing poker, faro and other games ;
! il was during his term of court. Hesald II
was generally talked that Judge Wills
was Influenced by he cattlemen, but on
cross examination he only mentioned one
man by the name of KIgore, but said II
was the general talk.
At the night session of the committee
the testimony taken, such as it was, was
substantially as the foregoing--in fact
the night work did not vary the m0notoly
of the days operations.
THE GREER COUNTY LANDS.
The senate public land committee held
its second meeting yesterday 10 consider
the bill to validate the Greer county sur
views by virtue of veteran and Confederate
certificates. At the first meeting, he'd
Friday. Col. J. NJ. Anderson gave the com
mittee a history OF Greer county and the
| locations. He showed that Texas had
about surrendered all claims to Greer
county until Col. Swisher went on TO
Washington and unearthed the facts in
regard to the report, which had been lost,
/ of VIM d Russell, who was the conmls-
siouer appointed by Gov. Houston TO con
/ fer with a commissioner from the
United States. Mr.. Russell never
conceded that Greer county be-
longei TO the United States, and
that. in fact, Col. Swisher had gotten an
admission from Washington that the
boundary question was still open, althoas h
! the Texas senators and Representatives
advised him that his efforts would be use
less.
In 1879 the map in the general land
Office gave Greer county 10 the United
States. Then he presented the statutory
enactments Of the legislature of Texas
! touching the questions involved, and
! showed that in 1879 there was an act
passed setting aside one-half of Greer
county for public schools and one-half
for the public debt,without any provisions
/ as 10 surveying, selling or specific aPpro-
priaiion as TO any particular debt.
! And that by an act Of the special SEES
! sion the entire territory OF the Panhandle
was set aside for the same purpose, but 50
specified a. TO provide for surveying. sell
Ing and appropriatiug one-halt Of the
net proceeds to the school fund and one
/ half TO the bonded debt Of the state.
That the difference in the two acts was
! caused by the reason that the latter &C was
! in regard to lands OF Texas owned without
doubtwhile with reference TO Greer county,
a, that time Texas scarcely had claim.
/ In 1879 the legislature repealed the veteran
pension act and provided fo- certificates
! Of $40 acres each 20 INDECENT veterans.
/ In lssl. by an act approved March Il, The
| legislature provided for the issuance OF
1850 acres 70 every veteran and that they
should be located on any domain as head
right certificates. The Confederate act
allowed location on any public domain
not reserved by law from location. Thus
the veteran certificates were not
restricted while the Confederate we're.
The state debt i baCatvU-
as our bonds are - per cent above pal
land our schools are well endowed. This
veteran certificates were patented by Yea
son Of the necessary construction 10 be-
put on above statutes and that Gree,
county was the only place 10 lecate them
and thus allow the state TO cancel thu
debt. Only little over 100000 acres haVt
been located on in Greer county, a1,
nearly 100000 acres remain. Tbs scGo0
fund will be protected IA the bill unte
discussion. The state viii certainly no
attempt TO deprive the veterans and ihei
assiguees OF the right 10 locate OF
this the only land subject to location
Col. Swlsher al the same meeting yer l-l
Col. Audersou's statements as TO the par
he had taken in the Greer county ma.
. ter.
. Yesterday,at the meeting Major Walton
at hrst addressed the committee. He said
. tina; il IS admitted that the tile 20 Gree
|. county is in dispute between Texas and
, the United States: that the title 10 that
county, in 1851, had been IN effect absn-
dOued; that only through John n. Svisher